Various companies offer third-party applications for smart phones and other mobile devices that allow voice and video conferencing using VoIP. Some of these companies include Skype™, Viber™, Google Hangouts™, and Vonage™. The user downloads the application, which connects with a VoIP server. The VoIP application requires the user to import the mobile device's contact list to that VoIP application's address book. The VoIP application then tells the user who else is presently using that VoIP application and who is presently connected and available to communicate. The VoIP application's address book and the smart phone's contacts list can also be synchronized. However, downloading applications introduces the risk of downloading viruses or other malware, and applications consume power, memory, and Internet bandwidth. Also, the phone hangs up, downloads cookies, and uses device storage, which reduces the speed of the mobile device's operating system (OS). Further, many applications expose the user to advertising.
Additionally, even after downloading a third-party application, the user must follow a cumbersome process in order to configure the smart phone to make VoIP calls. For example, with or without the VoIP application on mobile devices, the user must go to a profile setup for Skype™ to connect, for example, and on the Skype™ Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) profiles page, the user must setup a SIP user account (possibly requiring a subscription or pay-as-you-go service) from a VoIP service provider such as Skype™ or Viber™ to get a SIP address as a SIP client. Smart phone and Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones may have SIP clients preinstalled with the operating system (OS) or available as an application download.
To setup a SIP address on a computer or mobile device, similar to creating an email account with Google™ or Yahoo™, the user needs to configure the SIP client by filling the required fields, a new username and password, a display name, a domain, and a domain proxy. The user then provides the SIP addresses to others who also use the same SIP (the SIP addresses are shared just like phone numbers to make VoIP calls).
When the caller wishes to make a VoIP or video call to a recipient, the caller must be connected to the VoIP server so the VoIP server can assign a dynamic IP address to the caller. Further, the recipient must also be connected to the VoIP server, so the VoIP server also has the recipient's dynamic IP address. Because the VoIP server has both the caller's and the recipient's dynamic IP addresses, the VoIP call can be sent and received. However, if either the caller or the recipient is not connected to the VoIP server, the voice or video call cannot be placed because the VoIP server will not have the IP address of the unconnected party. Thus, in order to assure receipt of voice and video calls, users and recipients must remain connected to the VoIP server at all times if they wish to make or receive voice or video calls.
However, this requires that the VoIP application be running on the smart phone during these times, which consumes computer memory, battery power, and Internet bandwidth, causes phone hang-ups (and sometimes needs to restart), interrupts phone conversations or terminates phone calls, and exposes the user to advertisements while the VoIP application is running. Accordingly, an improved application may be beneficial.